


When Dreams become Reality

by AkayaMinamoto



Series: When Dreams become Reality [1]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Angst, Captain and First Mate, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Nightmares, Post-Marineford
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-02
Updated: 2017-11-02
Packaged: 2019-01-28 13:01:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12607216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AkayaMinamoto/pseuds/AkayaMinamoto
Summary: While visiting a new island in the New World, Luffy begins to change and the longer their stay lasts the worse it gets. But there is nothing that could bring Luffy back to reality ...





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everybody! I´m gonna try myself on writing a multi-chapter One Piece fanfiction.  
> I´ll do my best in writing the crew in-character, but because it is a fanfiction some of them (mainly Luffy and Zoro) need to be OOC or else the story wouldn´t fit in how I´d like to write it.
> 
> Also, I posted this fanfiction a while back on fanfiction.net under a different author name, that's where you can find it as well.
> 
> Thanks for reading and please leave a review to let me know what you think!

“Would you stop it already you damn rubber bastard or I swear I´m gonna throw your sorry ass over-board!”

It was noisy, chaotic and (for some members) painful: a regular meal aboard the Thousand Sunny. While Sanji desperately tried to protect the food he especially had made for his two melloriens from the food vacuum also known as Strawhat Luffy, was kicking and swearing loudly about useless crew mates who either laughed at the display or ignored it completely, too gotten used to it over the time.

“But Sanji~! Nami said we´re gonna reach an island soon and I need to eat as much as I can to explore it! Oh, Nami. Do you already know what kind of island it´s gonna be?”

“You´re gonna get hungry during exploring anyway so it doesn´t really matter how much you eat now. It never matters” Sanji grumbled under his breath, finally able to direct the captains attention away from the lady´s plates and to someone else´s (preferably to the moss-heads plate, who just swallowed a big gulp of sake without even trying to savor the flavor).

“All I can say now is that it´s gonna be an autumn island, but not too cold because we´re still in reach of the last summer island. The clima´s not gonna change much. Robin, do you have any more information about the inhabitation?” All eyes were directed to the black-haired woman, some more interested than others, who laid down her silverware and started to speak.

“On the last island we docked at I was able to confirm that it is indeed inhabited. If there is a marine base I could not clarify, but I do not think so because of the size of it. It is a small island called Genzoushima with no remarkable history. We can stock up our food supply and be on our way again.” Finishing with that statement she picked up her glass of wine and took a sip. While the cook was distracted by praising both women on their excellent knowledge, the rest of the crew turned back to eating, each member going through their own list of things they needed to buy.

X

 

It was late evening. The crew was gathered around the dinner table, some were lingering on the sofa like Usopp and Chopper. Just as Luffy was going to show of his new stunt with some glasses still standing on the table he came up with with Usopp – what sure was to end up in a fuming cook and bruises on a rubber head – Robin spoke up, catching the crews attention.

“Sencho-san, after our conversation this afternoon about the upcoming island we´re about to reach tomorrow, I searched for more information about it.”

“Yeah, what about it? Could you find out if it has an amusement park like the one on Sabaody? That´d be so cool!” Luffy´s question earned two squeaks of excitement from the two youngest crew members, who were by now singing, along with Luffy of course, the ´we´re-going-to-an-amusement-park´ song.

“I´m sorry to disappoint you, but I´m afraid I could not find anything about an amusement park located on Genzoushima” Robin answered, a light smile playing around the corners of her lips and she had to suppress a small chuckle. The chorus stopped immediately, followed by disappointed looks and groans from the Chaos-Trio. “But” Robin continued her announcement, “I was able to discover a very interesting story concerning the island.”

“With ´interesting` I´m sure she means ´creepy´” Usopp muttered under his breath so only Chopper could hear it, and both burst out into snickering.

“Shut up you two! Robin, what do you mean with interesting story?” Nami said, sending a cold glare towards the sniper and the reindeer.

“As I was going to say” Robin continued calmly as if never being interrupted, “it is said that some people, both inhabitants and marines and pirates just docking there for a short time alike, started to get insane. Many began to say weird and incoherent things, stammering about ´seeing things´ that could not be, even going as far as claiming to see dead people, loved ones who had passed away. Some of those people committed suicide. But it is not written why or when people started to get insane.  
I am just saying that we should be cautious. Navigator-san, how long does the log pose need to reset?”

Nami tilted her head to the side, a manicured finger tapping against the wooden table. “About two to three days. If it´s true what you read we should be wary of the inhabitants. Who knows what they´re capable of.” She directed her gaze to Sanji, who was making cups of tea for the ladys.  
“Sanji-kun? Could you have a list of ingredients ready we need to stock up on? That way we can be faster and don´t have to stay longer than necessary on the island.”

Sanji started to do his ´noodle-dance´ while swooning over the ladys how smart and beautiful they were. “Of course, Nami-swan~! An excellent idea!”

“I have an ´excellent idea´ myself and then we wouldn´t have to endure your damn noodling any longer swirly-brow” Zoro muttered and took a long gulp of his sake.

“What did you just say moss-head? Go play with your sticks and let the adults take care of the important stuff you don´t understand. But don´t get lost!”

“I´m gonna dump your scrawny ass over board for the sea kings to eat!” Zoro responded, standing up and laying one hand on the hilt of Kitetsu, face grim and a snarl on his lips. “I´d like to see you try” Sanji snorted back and tapped his toes on the ground. The familiar gestures of both sides brought Nami to stand up and smack both Zoro and Sanji over their heads.

“Knock it off you two block-heads! This is serious. I´m surrounded by idiots!” With that said she sat down again and looked straight at Luffy, who was snickering over the whole situation. “What´s so funny anyway, Luffy?” Nami shot in his direction and the captain took a deep breath to calm himself down.

“It´s just funny, guys!” he said, and began to chuckle again. “I don´t really care what weird things happened on this island! It´s not like we ever visited a non-weird island. Where else would be the fun?  
You guys are so much stronger now, we don´t have to worry about anything. If someone even dares to try something stupid against us, we just kick his ass! So stop worrying about the time we´re docking there and have fun exploring another new island! Right, minna?” Luffy gave his typical `Luffy-grin´ along with the familiar shishishi.

That was all it needed to lighten up the atmosphere in the kitchen and the crew was back to normal.

 

X

 

It was getting late by now and after some more time spend together Brook, Franky, Usopp and Chopper bid the others good night and went to the men's quarters. Sanji made the ladys a cup of tea to take with them to the girls quarters, before he went to bed as well.

The only ones left now were Zoro and Luffy.

“Who´s on watch tonight?” the captain spoke up into the now quiet kitchen. “Don´t know” Zoro answered and stretched his arms over his head, some joints popping here and there. “But I don´t mind taking it. Wanted to train some more anyway.”

“Zoro?”

“Mmh?”

“Why are you always training? I mean, even at night, when everybody else is sleeping and you´re on watch, I can hear you swinging your weights in the crows nest.”

“Mm? What do you mean? I need to get stronger so I can defeat Mihawk and become the world´s greatest swordsman, you idiot. That was the reason I followed you in the first place.” Though he was lightly chuckling, Zoro was a little confused. His usually happy-go-lucky captain had now a serious expression on his face and seemed be contemplating something important. Why would Luffy ask such a stupid question? And why now with such a stern expression?

“I know that but why- wait. Why ´was the reason´? Did your dream change over the two years?!” Luffy was bewildered and a light panic started to rise in the pit of his stomach. When Zoro doesn´t want to become the greatest swordsman any longer, does that mean he´s gonna leave the-?!

“NO! You can´t leave the crew! What are we going to do without you? What am I going to do without you?! Please Zoro don´t-!”

“Wait wait wait! What are you babbling about me leaving the crew? I never said or even thought about that!” Zoro interrupted Luffy, frantically waving his hands in front of him. Where the fuck did that come from all of a sudden?

“Y- you don´t wanna leave the crew?” Luffy asked in a low tone that was as unusual as the idea of Zoro leaving.  
“Of course not you idiot! Why should I even think about it?” Zoro stated and locked his eyes with his captain´s, showing him how serious he was.

“Puh, that´s good. I was actually afraid there for a second” Luffy said, but he didn´t gave his first mate his usual toothy grin, but instead an unsure smile that didn´t reach his eyes at all. As Zoro watched him closer, he could see little droplets of sweat form on Luffy´s forehead.

“Buddy, are you alright? You´re acting weird.” He didn´t want his voice to sound so concerned, but he couldn´t deny it either. Something was wrong with his captain and he would not just sit around and play it off like he didn´t notice. Now he was here, now he could help. Not like in those two years, he thought bitterly, but banned those thoughts invading his mind immediately. Not gonna start there again.

“What? No, no I´m perfectly alright! Never better-”

“Luffy.”

“...yeah?”

“Cut the crap and tell me. It´s just me, alright? What´s the matter?”

Luffy tried to avoid Zoro´s fierce gaze, but he couldn't´t take his eyes away from that stare. Even though Zoro had only one eye now, that doesn´t mean he couldn´t stare like he could before. If anything, it became even more intimidating.

“I- I don´t really wanna talk about it. It´s … making me weak and I can´t afford to be weak, especially since we entered the New World. I thought I´ve got stronger over the two years, but sometimes I feel weaker than ever. I trust all of you guys, you know that, but at times I fear that you gonna leave me when I´m not strong enough. I don´t know why, it´s ridiculous and-”

“Shut up. Luffy just stop talking shit like that. Why do you question yourself again like when Usopp left the crew? I told you there and I´m gonna tell you now: Even though it´s a heavy burden for a captain to protect and be strong for his crew, you aren´t alone with that burden. You don´t have to be strong all the time, we know you can pull through everything just at your will. If you ever feel like you can´t carry it all alone, let me help you, alright?”

To say that Zoro was shocked to hear Luffy thinking about not being strong enough for the crew and that they´re gonna leave him because of that is an understatement. He still held Luffy´s gaze, wanting him to believe what he just said through his eyes.

Suddenly Zoro saw tears gather in his captain´s eyes and his stomach clenched together while a wave of guilt crashed down on him when he heard Luffy´s next choked out words.

“I wasn´t strong enough to save my brother. A-Ace died in my arms because I was to weak to protect him! It still hurts so much when I think about it, even after all this time. I never want to feel so broken again … I- I don´t think I could handle losing one of you because I couldn´t protect you.”

The first tear spilled over and ran down his cheek, over that old and familiar scar. Zoro´s hand twitched and he acted without really knowing what he did.

The first mate stood up and pulled his captain out of his seat. As soon as Luffy stood, Zoro embraced him in his muscular arms. Luffy was shocked at first, not expecting Zoro to react like that, but after the surprise ebbed away, the dam broke and the young man began to cry in earnest into Zoro´s shoulder, something he didn´t allow himself to do for a long time. Luffy let himself be supported and slumped fully against the older man, hands clawing at the back of Zoro´s dark green robe. Zoro felt warm and strong, unwavering and so full of trust that Luffy just couldn´t stop crying.

Zoro sighed and buried his nose in Luffy´s hair, not caring what one may think about them if anybody saw them, and whispered in the lowest voice Luffy had ever heard Zoro use: “I can´t tell you how sorry I am that I wasn´t there when you needed me the most. I will never leave you again, Luffy. That´s also the reason why I train so much. I want, no, I need to protect you and the crew and never fail so miserably again. I am so sorry, Luffy.”

Luffy´s sobs stopped abruptly, and he let the words Zoro just whispered sunk in and warm him from the inside.

As Luffy didn´t react to Zoro´s words, he started to panic that he had said something wrong and made his captain feel worse, but than he felt Luffy raising his head and looking at him through red, puffy eyes, tears still escaping them and rolling down his face.

“Don´t be” Luffy whispered with a broken voice, “it isn´t your fault, remember that. But, thank you.” And he smiled up at Zoro, this time a real smile despite the tears. Zoro didn´t say anything with words, but rather than explaining he took action.

Zoro moved his right hand to Luffy´s cheek, wiping away the wet trails and ever so slowly dipped his head until their noses where touching, his other hand still resting on the small of Luffy´s back. When his captain didn´t move, the first mate leaned in closer and pressed their lips together in a soft kiss.

After a few seconds which seemed to stretch forever, Zoro pulled away and rested his forehead against Luffy´s, eyes still closed and sighing softly. Luffy was still smiling a small smile, enjoying the warmth that seeped into his body and calmed him down.  
Zoro was always there when Luffy needed him the most. Always catching him when he was about to fall. Always pulling him to the surface when he struggled in the depth.

“Do you wanna try and sleep now? It´s getting late and you don´t want to be tired when we´re gonna explore a new island, do you senchou?”

“Yeah you´re right.”

They slowly released each other and started walking towards the door. When they opened it, a warm wind welcomed them and both breathed in the fresh air surrounding the Sunny. It was a clear night with only some clouds covering the sky.  
They reached the lawn deck and Zoro was about to walk towards the crows nest, raising his hand to wave Luffy good-night, when a smaller hand held his wrist and turned him around. The next thing Zoro felt were two arms around his neck and a warm body pressing against his bulky form in a strong embrace. “Thank you” Luffy whispered again in his ear, and as sudden as he had felt Luffy against him he was away again, walking towards the men´s quarters and vanishing behind the door.

Zoro stood there for a few more seconds before he chuckled to himself and made his way up to the crows nest, the intention to train forgotten for this night.

He didn´t know exactly why, but Zoro wasn´t so fond of reaching the new island. Something was still wrong with Luffy, but he wasn´t going to ask him again, not after their talk this night. I´m gonna have an eye on him on this island, he thought, while sitting down on the bench, his swords nearby in reach and looking outside the window, watching the dark sea they all loved so much, but that could change all their lives in a blink of an eye.

To be continued …


	2. Chapter 2

When Luffy woke up the next morning he felt like shit.

His head was swimming as if he had been drinking too much last night. He looked down at himself and noticed the sweat covering his skin. Luffy started to shiver lightly. Then he noticed the weird metallic taste in his mouth. Did I bite myself while I slept? It sure feels that way, Luffy thought, grimacing. I must have had a weird dream ...  
He blinked his eyes and slowly turned around to see who of his crew was still asleep in his bunk. As Luffy didn´t see anyone he sat up, yawned and stretched his arms over his head. Where is everyone? I didn´t sleep that long, did I?, the rubber man wondered and swung his legs over the side of his bunk, letting himself fall to his feet where he paused to yawn again. That was the moment he noticed the pain.

His head wasn´t just swimming like when he slept for too long, no. Luffy could feel a steady buzz behind his temples, like something is slowly but steadily pressing down on his brain. He groaned and massaged his temples while making his way to the door, grabbing his treasured hat on the way and letting it rest on his back with the string secured around his neck.  
Once he stepped outside, he was greeted by a cool wind that made goosebumps appear on his exposed arms, but Luffy welcomed the cold, breathing deep the salty air in his lungs through his nose and letting it out again through his mouth. The sun was behind thin clouds, but here and there he could make out patches of blue sky shimmer through. It was going to be a nice day.

Before he walked to the galley, where he could already hear the voices of his nakama through the wooden door, Luffy looked up to the crows nest out of habit and remembered last night.

In retrospect, it was silly assuming that Zoro could ever even think about leaving Luffy and the crew behind. Although it sometimes seemed as if the whole crew annoyed the swordsman to no end, Luffy knew his first mate better than anyone, Zoro himself included, to know that his green-haired nakama, under his gruff appearance, cared a big deal about them all. They all loved each other like the family they were.

Then the kiss Luffy and Zoro had shared returned to his mind and a smile appeared on his face.  
Actually, it wasn´t the first time Zoro had kissed Luffy. But the few times he did, like the time they had returned to Water 7 after burying Merry on the sea or after Zoro had finally opened his eyes on Thriller Bark, it was always a soft kiss, just lips pressing, almost shyly, on lips and vanishing after a few seconds again. Both captain and first mate found comfort in each other and those small gestures of affection like none other could provide them with, and that was all there was to say to it. Luffy wasn´t sure if he felt anything more towards Zoro, not being sure how love really felt, but if their ´relationship´ could stay like it was now, than that was all Luffy needed. And he was sure that Zoro felt the same way.

Still smiling to himself, the captain turned, crossed the lawn deck and climbed up the stairs. He stopped in front of the galley door and pressed his right hand against his head, willing the throbbing pain away that started to get worse the more he moved around. Luffy could feel his blood running through his veins and with every strong beat of his heart the pain seemed to almost unnoticeably increase. If the pain won´t go away on it´s own I have to go ask Chopper if he has anything, he thought while pushing the galley door open to reveal his friends gathered around the breakfast table.

As soon as he closed the door he was greeted with shouts of “Good Morning, Captain!”, “Hey sleepyhead! Nice to see you up, too” and “We´re almost through with breakfast.”

“Ohayo, minna! What do you mean with ´almost through with breakfast´? How long did I sleep?” Luffy asked with an irritated expression, while sitting down on his usual seat beside Zoro. He smiled at his swordsman who was watching him with his one eye, but gave a small smile in return before shifting his attention back to his bacon on his plate.

“Luffy, it´s almost midday! We were only waiting for you to show up. We were actually thinking about clearing the table and preparing everything to dock at the island. Your lucky that you finally showed up or else you would´ve had to wait ´till lunch” Nami said, annoyance creeping into her voice as she looked at Luffy who ran his eyes over the almost empty table. Silence followed, while all eyes rested on the still calmly observing captain.

“Eh, Luffy-bro? Are you feelin´ alright?” Luffy lifted his gaze towards the shipwright. “Yeah. Why´re you asking?” He looked at his other nakama. “Why are you guys looking at me like that? Is something in my face?” It was true. All seven pairs of eyes and one pair of empty eye sockets were watching the young captain closely, as if expecting he would blow up any second.  
“Then … why aren´t you screaming “I missed breakfast?!” Usopp started, imitating Luffy while throwing his arms into the air, “and inhaling everything that is still left on the table” Chopper added with concern written over his face, “and of course desperately asking Sanji-san to make more, especially more meat!” Brook finished and everyone fiercely nodded in agreement.  
“Not to forget the hundreds of questions being asked with your mouth still full about the new island, even though we still do not have any more information as I already told you everything yesterday” Robin said with a smile on her face, lifting her cup of coffee and taking a small sip.  
“I even started on making us bentou, and you´re always the first one to ask about them. That´s why we´re all asking if you´re alright. Because now your not behaving like the rubber-headed idiot we call our captain” Sanji said, a lit cigarette between his lips, smoke escaping them while he spoke.

Luffy chuckled to himself. “I´m just still a little sleepy, that´s all. Don´t worry ´bout it!” he said, looking them all into their eyes (well, those of them who actually had eyes) and grinning like he always did. But when his eyes settled on his first mate, his smile wavered a little. Zoro was looking at him with the stern expression he wore most of the time, but while looking into Luffy´s eyes it seemed more as if he knew the captain wasn´t feeling as good as he tried to make them believe and Zoro could easily see through that facade he had put on. Luffy almost unnoticeably nodded and then directed his gaze to the table to fill his still empty plate with the food waiting for him to devour.

After letting his eye rest a little longer on Luffy, Zoro looked towards their navigator, who had started to give each member a task to prepare the ship for the time they were gonna dock at the island. What was the name again?, Zoro thought. Genzoushima, wasn´t it? Something about this name gives me the creeps …

 

X

 

After breakfast was finished the Straw Hats scattered throughout the Sunny to follow their respective tasks they were given by Nami.  
Usopp helped Sanji in the kitchen, Nami and Robin prepared whatever the girls needed to prepare for, Zoro simply vanished into the crows nest, and after some time one could hear the telltale rattling of his weights being lifted, Brook went with Franky to the docking system to see if everything was alright and if they had enough cola to use for a ´Coup de Burst´ if needed and Chopper made sure that he was stocked up on enough medicine, herbs and ointment if one or probably more of the crew got themselves injured.

The latter was just checking his instruments, when someone knocked at the reindeer´s office door. Chopper, perched upon his desk chair, turned around. “Come in!” The door opened and to say that the little reindeer was confused to see his captain standing before him was an understatement. Luffy disliked the infirmary almost as much as Zoro, seeing that the Monster Trio had to go there and get treated after almost every fight. But Luffy also knew that this little room meant very much to their smallest crew member and he, like everyone else, respected that.

Luffy came in and closed the door behind him. Chopper already knew that something was wrong with his captain after his weird and uncharacteristic behavior at breakfast, but he was surprised that Luffy freely came to receive help from the ship´s doctor. He was happy that the crew trusted him so much that they came on their own accord when something was wrong. “Hey Luffy! Can I help you with something?” Chopper asked, jumping down from his chair and smiling an assuring smile at his friend. “Hey Chopper. Actually, yes. That´s what I came here for. I woke up with a small headache this morning, but I thought it would go away after I eat enough meat. But it didn´t. And the more I walk around the worse it gets. Can you give me something to dull the pain? It´s making me crazy and I can´t explore the island with my head pounding like that.” He kept the thing with the bad dream where he had hurt himself a secret. It wasn´t a big deal.

Chopper looked Luffy up and down closely. He had learned from Dr Kureha to not only treat the obvious pain the patient tells the doctor, but to look the patient over and check if the reason for the pain doesn´t have another core.  
Luffy had small shadows under his eyes, his smile didn´t quite reach his eyes and the way he stood in the small infirmary looked kind of lost and unstable, like the smallest of wind could have the boy toppling over. Chopper nodded to himself. “Of course Luffy! Just sit down on the bed for a moment and I see what I have to help you” Chopper smiled again and walked over to the drawer where he kept all his medicine stuff. He rummaged around a bit until he found what he was looking for. He turned to Luffy and held two small pills in one hoof and a dried leaf in the other. “Here, you can take these. The pills you have to swallow, they´re against the headache. And just lay the herb on your tongue and wait until it dissolves. It´ll help to make you more awake so you have enough power for the new island.” “Thanks, Chopper. You´re a great doctor” Luffy grinned down at his friend. He took the offered pills and swallowed them, then reached to take the herb and laid it on his tongue. His face contorted in a grimace. Uhh, gross that´s bitter!, Luffy thought disgusted, but kept the herb in his mouth. He didn´t want his nakama to worry about him.

“Saying that I´m a great doctor won´t make me happy or anything you bastard!” Chopper squeaked and began to dance a little, his cheeks turning red from being complimented. Luffy chuckled and stood up from the bed. “Thanks again”, he said, petted the reindeer on the head and opened the door. Choppers “Your welcome!” followed him out on deck before he let the door fall close behind him.

Luffy´s hat fluttered against his back in the breeze. He grabbed it and set it on his head. I gotta talk to Zoro, he thought and looked up at the crows nest. Just as he was about to go down the stairs and cross the lawn deck to climb up the mast, he heard a cracking sound and shortly after the voice of said swordsman he was just going to talk to through the megaphone set on the bottom of the crows nest.

“Minna! I can see the island up ahead. I think we gonna reach it in about two hours.”

Luffy smiled. He had a better idea to go up there. He could already feel the buzz in his head slowly disappear and with it the strength returning in his body. He felt more like himself again.

Luffy pulled his right arm back, letting it shoot forward again to grab hold of the top of the crows nest and, with a cry of “Gomu Gomu no – Rocket!” escaping his throat, he catapulted himself to the roof. Landing safely on the highest point of the Sunny, he carefully slid down until he was in front of one of the windows, his hands holding him on the small roof where he liked to sit sometimes. He knocked with his foot against the glass, catching the attention of a startled swordsman. “Luffy? You could have used the hatch like normal people would do, y´know?” Though his voice sounded annoyed, Zoro still walked over and opened the window to let his boyish captain in.

Luffy jumped inside and closed the window again. Zoro was facing his weights which were lying on the ground, started to pick them up and hung them in the appliance Franky had especially built for them. When he spoke there was no emotion audible in his voice. “What was wrong with you this morning? And don´t even try to fool me, you know I can read you like an open book.” Straight to the point, huh?, Luffy thought and watched his swordsman´s back, ignoring the fact that Zoro kept his feelings out of his voice, even though it were just the two of them.

“I know. And I won´t” he started. “When I woke up this morning, I felt weird. My head hurt and it became worse the longer I was awake. And I was covered in sweat and my tongue hurt, like I bit myself in my sleep or something. I felt like I had no energy at all … But I went to Chopper and he gave me something against it. I´m feelin´ better already!” Luffy finished grinning. But Zoro still didn´t turn around or commented on anything the younger of the two just told him.

Even if Zoro was concerned for his captain, he knew there was more to it than he told him. Watching Luffy closely at breakfast had revealed to him that, yes, the rubber man wasn´t feeling well, but the first mate was sure something other than a headache was the cause for this. The captain he knew and followed wasn´t someone who let himself get stopped by something so simple as that.

The silence stretched on like Luffy´s arm in one of his attacks, but neither would say anything. After some time Zoro finally turned around and locked eyes with his captain. “You sure that´s everything?” was all he said while searching for something he didn´t even know in Luffy´s eyes. “Yeah, I´m sure. I can´t remember anything from a bad dream or something. Just the headache and my tongue hurting. Zoro what´s wrong, it´s no big deal! Everyone has a time when he isn´t feeling so good, but it´ll pass. We have a new island to explore coming up and I´m not gonna miss out on that!” Luffy smiled up at his first mate, confidence shining behind his eyes.

“Alright, senchou. If you say so” Zoro said. Luffy nodded and moved towards the hatch leading down to the deck. But when he passed Zoro, his voice made him stop again.

“Luffy?” Luffy turned around and looked at the swordsman again, one eyebrow rising in question.

Zoro sighed and ran a hand through his still light sweaty hair from training. “Just- just promise me that you´re gonna be careful on that island, okay? I don´t know why, but I have a strange feeling in my gut that didn´t disappoint me in the last two years. I don´t want anything happening to you.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Zoro felt stupid for saying them. He isn´t a little kid anymore! He can take care of himself, a voice in his head said, but the twisting in his stomach didn´t stop until Luffy smiled again and nodded. The first mate let out another soft sigh and nodded in response. “Okay, then let´s go down before the sea-witch gets angry and starts rising my ridiculous dept again” Zoro grinned and walked over to lift the hatch. Luffy chuckled and before his swordsman could say anything else he jumped and let himself fall to the deck rather than climbing down like normal people would.

Zoro´s grin widened. Hell, it was Monkey D. Luffy he was talking about. This kid, no, this young man wasn´t in any way normal to begin with.  
And that´s exactly why I´m gonna follow him wherever he´ll go, he thought while climbing down the mast to his already waiting crew.


	3. Chapter 3

“Okay, minna. We still have some time left before we arrive. Sanji, do you have everything on the list we need to restock on?” When Zoro and Luffy walked over to their nakama, Nami was already taking the lead, like always, by making sure they had everything ready for their short stay.

“Of course, my dear! I wrote down everything we need” Sanji hummed happily.  
“I´m gonna go and buy new barrels of cola. We´re running low on them, too, though it´s still enough for a Coup-de-Burst if we need one.” Franky looked towards Nami, who nodded and tilted her head, calculating the amount of money they gonna need.

“I hope you didn´t forget to write down booze on your list, shit-cook. We´re low on that, too.” Sanji´s face immediately switched from grinning dumbly at Nami to glaring furiously at Zoro. “Shut up, moss-head! You can go buy that cheap stuff you like to drink yourself! I´m not gonna waste Nami-san´s money on shit like that, especially if it´s for you!”

Before anything else could be said that would unpreventable end up in another fight, Nami lifted her hands and smacked both men on the head, silencing any insults that were sure to follow suit.  
“I know what I´m gonna do on that island” Nami muttered to Robin, who stood beside her, smiling softly at the display of Zoro and Sanji still grumbling at each other, both rubbing their sore heads. “First I´ll shop for new clothes and then take a nice long soak. Those idiots will be the death of me.”  
Robin chuckled. “Would you mind if I join you? I wanted to look for new clothes as well.” Nami smiled, nodding in agreement, and turning back to face the crew. “Alright. It´s gonna be around noon when we arrive. Sanji had already prepared our bentou, that means we´re good to go as soon as we dock.”

While Nami and Robin deepened themselves in their conversation of what they were planning on buying, the guys went back to their previous tasks.

Luffy didn´t pay much attention to what the crew had discussed moments ago, but he started shouting for Chopper and Usopp as soon as the group broke up. Zoro couldn´t help but smile at his captain´s childish display. Heading towards one of the trees on Sunny´s lawn deck, the swordsman decided to take a quick nap before they docked.

Reaching the tree with the swing attached to the bigger branch, he took his swords out of his sash and leaned them against the trunk, settling himself at the base of it and crossing his arms behind his head. As Zoro closed his eye, he finally felt calm settle in his chest, only now noticing how the whole ´Luffy-scenario` had troubled him. But Luffy had promised him to be careful and he trusted him. Luffy would never break a promise, not even the smallest.

Only when Zoro´s leg was being poked by something, he noticed that he had indeed dozed off. He blinked and sat up, stretching his arms over his head and feeling the blood returning to them after sleeping on them for who knows how long. He looked around to look for the source of what, or rather who, woke him from his nap, only to be met with sparkling brown eyes belonging to a small reindeer that smiled at him. Zoro could almost feel the excitement radiating from Choppers small body.  
“We´re there, huh?” Zoro asked, smiling at his small nakama when Chopper started to jump up and down. “Yes, finally! And look at all those colors! Come on, Zoro, look!”

Zoro pushed himself off the ground, put his precious swords back into his sash and bent down to pick the reindeer up to put him on his left shoulder. Chopper squealed and held himself steady by putting his hooves on Zoro´s head, ruffling the green hair slightly and snickering at the grumbling sound the swordsman made, though his smile didn´t fade.

Zoro walked the two of them over to the railing, and he was surprised to see that they had already anchored. Chopper was babbling about all the things he wanted to do, all the herbs and plants he was going to look for, and all the fun they would have.  
It was just another island they had to stop at on their voyage over the the Grand Line, but since they entered the New World, every new island meant a new adventure, an even more exciting, more dangerous adventures compared to the ones they had already experienced in the first half of the Grand Line, the so called ´Paradise`. This was the cause for Chopper´s excited ramblings every time they reached a new island.  
But these were now pushed to the back of Zoro´s consciousness, as the young man studied his new environment.

Chopper was definitely right. To the right side of where they had docked he could make out the town. The houses looked all the same with their brown roofs and the walls consisting of a mixture of stone and wood. But behind the town, there was a huge forest that stretched out as far as he could see. The trees weren´t only a lush green. There were colors Zoro couldn´t even name. It was like an ocean out of yellows, browns, reds and greens, but with so many more shades that it seemed to all blur together.

Before the swordsman could say anything to the ships doctor, laughter and clatter could be heard from behind the door to the men´s quarters, and only seconds after that Usopp emerged with his Kuro Kabuto in hand, fiddling with his bag that hung loosely over his shoulder, while Luffy happily jumped up and down behind him, eyes already sparkling with excitement, just like Chopper´s.

Luffy was stilled dressed in his trademark sandals and blue shorts, but he had traded his normal red vest against a little thicker one with a hood. It won´t do him any good though, thought Zoro, because his new outfit still lacked the proper protection of his arms against the wind. But he knew that the rubber-man was practically immune against cold, and wouldn´t bother putting on something more appropriate even if he was ordered to by Nami.

“Luffy! Usopp! Come on, I wanna explore the island! What took you guys so long, anyway?” Chopper waved them over to where he and Zoro were still standing at the railing. Luffy smiled at the site of the little reindeer perched on Zoro´s shoulder, who started moving towards the two boys. Zoro saw it and rolled his eyes, what only led to Luffy laughing.

“I had to check what I need to buy for my ammunition. And Luffy wouldn´t stop messing with other people´s stuff!” the sniper ended with a glare directed at the boy currently playing with the strand on his hood, not even noticing that he was being addressed.

“I am SUPER ready guys!” Franky shouted over the whole ship, striking his pose. “Yeah, so are we!” Chopper replied, jumping off Zoro´s shoulder and starting to dance with Usopp and Luffy, all shouting in excitement for a new adventure.

Franky joined them on the lawn deck. “Oi, minna! Let´s get going!” the captain shouted and the rest of the crew assembled.

“Yohohoho, I wish you all a wonderful day! I will stay here and guard Lion-san to the best of my capabilities. Oh, and Chopper-san, would you bring me some new tea leaves?” Brook asked, while handing Chopper some money. The reindeer nodded and put it into his bag before securing it to his back. “Of course. Do you need anything else?” “No, that would be all, thank you” the tall skeleton answered and bowed, making the young doctor giggle. With one last bow in the direction of the girls, he turned around and headed for the galley, humming a tune only he could hear.

“Okay, everyone knows what to buy. And boys,” Nami addressed the three youngest of the crew, “ I know it´s a waste of my breath to say it but still: try not to get into any major trouble okay? Just this once.” The three youngest looked at each other, grinned and looked back at Nami, nodding their heads, still grinning from ear to ear.  
“Why do I even bother trying?” Nami threw her hands up in an exasperated gesture and turned to leave the ship.

“Nami-swan~! Robin-chwan~! May I accompany you to carry your bags? Such beautiful women should´t carry such heavy luggage themselves!” Sanji was already swooning around the girls before they could even answer him properly. Nami grinned mischievously at the blond cook, before descending the ladder that led down to the pier. Sanji was taking that as a yes, and therefore had trouble containing his nosebleed attack.

Zoro wasn´t even trying to hide his disgust, rather going for the offensive method by snorting and grumbling something about idiot blonds that don´t realize that they were being used by those witches. As soon as he ended with calling Nami and Robin witches, Sanji´s behavior changed from dumb noodling to burning with rage faster than the eye could see. Nobody got away with insulting his angels!  
But before another fight could break loose Nami called from down the pier.  
“Sanji-kun! Are you coming?” Everyone could tell that she was acting, just trying to end the starting bloodbath. And again Sanji´s mood switched and jumped down the side of the ship, accompanying Nami and Robin, and the trio made their way towards the town, waving good-bye to the crew.

“See ya guys later then. Have a SUPER day!” said Franky before climbing down the ladder as well.

That left the swordsman with the boys. He looked at Luffy, who had a puzzled look on his face

He nudged his captain with his arm, seeming to bring him back from wherever he was, and watching his every move.  
I know he told me not to worry, and he may not notice it, but he´s still acting weird.  
“Why aren´t you already off the ship and bugging the nearest restaurant for food, senchou?” He leaned in a little closer so that Usopp and Chopper couldn´t overhear them, though they too started heading towards the ladder. “Still feeling alright?” the swordsman whispered.

For a second Luffy looked like he just wanted to play his question off like it was nothing, but then he seemed to change his mind and nodded his head.

“What are you waiting for you two? Aren´t you coming?” Usopp shouted, having already reached the pier with Chopper. “Go ahead you guys, we´ll be there in a sec!” Luffy answered, his voice sounding as carefree as ever, but Zoro could make out the pressure behind it. The two gave the pair a thumbs up and descended the ladder as well.

Luffy looked around the empty ship before turning towards his first mate. What the taller man didn´t expect, was his captain suddenly slumping against him, leaning his head against his shoulder and pinching his eyes together. Not knowing how to react, Zoro just stood there, letting his friend lean on him, and carefully resting a hand on the smaller boy´s shoulder.

“I take that as a ´no` then” Zoro softly grumbled.

“The headache is back. And it´s stronger ...” Luffy said, his voice sounding strained. “Then we should stay on the ship” Zoro suggested, concern painting his voice. “But there´s a new island to explore! Zoro I can´t miss out on that!”

It took one glance at his captain´s pleading face, and big, strong Zoro crumbled like a cookie. “Alright. But you don´t leave my side okay? I don´t want anything happen to you, and you attract trouble like a freakin` magnet.”

Luffy cheered, but winced almost instantly, holding his head in his hands, but still grinning stupidly at Zoro. The swordsman just shook his head, walked over to the railing and jumped down.  
Suddenly he felt a pair of hands grabbing his shoulders, and before he could even turn around, Luffy had already slingshot himself down to his swordsman, laughing at the startled cry that escaped Zoro´s throat before the impact send both pirates flying.

 

X

 

The trip through the town ended up like any other.

While the captain bounced through the streets, ooh-ing and aah-ing at everything new he saw, pointing at different things in the shop windows, and always making sure his companion was still following him, the first mate had trouble to keep an eye on the hyperactive teen in front of him. Not to mention to try and keep up with him.

As usual, the weird pair drew the eyes of the towns people on them, not caring the slightest about the disturbed looks they received and the whispering that followed them.

If Zoro wouldn´t know better, to the untrained eye it would look like the straw-hat-wearing boy had the time of his life and was overflowing with energy. But the swordsman knew better; he could see that Luffy´s behavior lacked the usual enthusiasm, and his eyes weren´t glowing as much as they used to. He was putting up an act, trying to convince himself that nothing was wrong by playing it off.  
But after some time flew by, the captain grew quieter and sticked more by his friends side. Zoro was very well aware of that, but didn´t say anything.

Though Luffy hadn´t complained about any headaches the whole time they were in town, it was more than obvious to the observant swordsman that the teen was in more pain than he showed.

Two hours later, it was around afternoon by then, the two pirates had picked up everything they needed, and had decided to head back to the ship.  
They were walking quietly beside each other, both content with just enjoying the company, when suddenly an explosion shook the ground, followed by two more. People started screaming, mother´s shielding their children from any harm, not really knowing were the ruckus came from and what was happening.

Luffy winced at the loud noises, resisting the urge to cover his ears. Zoro´s head whipped around, immediately spotting the dark smoke coming from near the town´s center.  
One look at each other was all it needed and both pirates sprinted into the direction people were pointing to, some running towards the source of commotion, others fleeing from it.  
Once they reached their destination, the town´s central plaza, Luffy and Zoro started to push their way through the crowd, some making way for them as soon as they saw the dangerous look the green-haired man with the three katana wore.

The plaza before them was in chaos.

Debris covered the left side where only moments before a huge house had been, the booths that once made out the entire center were now burning, creating not only the thick smoke, but also a disgusting smell consisting of burned meat, vegetables, spices and other things that could not be identified. Parents were screaming for their children, babies were crying, and the wounded tried to escape from the cause of all this, if they were still able to move.

It was obvious who was responsible for the destruction and the panic. Between the sounds of fear and agony, Zoro and Luffy could hear laughter. It came from a man standing at the sidelines on the other side of the crowd. He was tall with broad shoulders, and a a light stubble was covering his jaw. His clothes were stained with soot, and it was obvious that he was the one pulling the strings in the background. Some of his men were laughing with him, others running around the plaza, slicing up men and women alike if they weren´t fast enough to escape.

Suddenly he turned his head and looked directly at Luffy and Zoro as if sensing their presence in the crowd. When he grinned at them, the fire around him captured in his eyes, letting them shine with madness.

Luffy felt a hand on his shoulder and knew that Zoro had took off to take care of the man´s crew. He clenched his fist and walked over the guy, eyes never leaving the man´s. Why was he doing something like that? This town had no problem with pirates docking here, but men like this guy were the reason so many other towns did.

“Strawhat, finally. I was starting to think you tucked your tail between your legs and ran. But he was right. You are always there wherever shit goes down, aren´t you?”

Luffy frowned. He had been waiting for him? How did he knew they even were on this island?

“Should I know you?” He wasn´t in the mood for chit-chat, but he should at least know the man´s name before he beat him up.

“No, but I know you. Well, almost everyone had at least heard the name of Mugiwara no Luffy.” The grin on the mans face grew into a smug one, causing Luffy´s muscles to tense. In the distance he could hear the screams of the scared pirates that accompanied the familiar clashing and slicing by three famous katana.  
“Ever since the Paramount War, that is.”

Luffy´s face darkened considerably at the mention of Marineford.  
He thought he was able to cope with what had happened at that horrible place after those two years, especially after reuniting safely with his crew, but whenever a stranger dug that topic out he had to shove the painful memories away and lock them back into the place he only visited when he was alone at night and couldn´t bear the pain any longer. He hated to conceal his emotions in front of his crew, but those feelings were something he had to deal with alone.  
Luffy knew how much his friends still blamed themselves for not being able to be there for their captain, but it wasn´t their fault. He didn´t want them to feel more guilty for something they shouldn´t even feel responsible for.

His eyes searched for the familiar green hair in the chaos around them, calming down when he spotted his first mate on one side of the former market, shouting something towards the other side. Luffy´s gaze moved to the side Zoro was shouting to, relief and pride coursing through him when he saw Sanji, Nami and Robin running towards the center. Sanji was already furiously kicking the men´s heads in, while Nami and Robin helped the hurt citizens escape. When a familiar cry of “Captain Usopp!” reached his ears, accompanied by the sound of hooves running over cobblestones, Luffy couldn´t help but chuckle lightly to himself.  
Of course they would come.

The boy´s attention snapped back to the man standing in front of him, face becoming serious again.  
“I don´t know who you are, and I don´t care. But I´m gonna kick your ass for getting those nice people hurt.” Luffy´s voice was low and filled with suppressed rage, the brim of his straw hat shadowing his eyes.

“As if you´d be able to beat me! I am Ichirou, first mate of the Shingetsu Pirates.” The man stood proud, looking down on Luffy with a menacing glare as if his name alone would make Luffy cringe and back away from him. When the strawhat boy didn´t even blink in acknowledgment, his grin disappeared into a scowl. “I will make you eat those words.”

Without further talk, Ichirou jumped into the air, coating his entire arm with Busoshoku Haki and charged towards the boy, aiming his punch for Luffy´s head. The attack gave Luffy more than enough time to jump back, knocking his fists together to coat both his arms in the black armor as well, and raising his arms above his head, crossing them like a shield.  
Even though he readied himself, when the man´s fist connected with his crossed arms the impact was by far greater than he anticipated.

Suddenly his head started to ache again, and with every passing second his opponent was pressing down on him the pain grew and grew. His knees buckled under the pressure and he groaned from the strain. He squeezed his eyes shut, willing the bright spots away that gathered before him, dancing through the dark like exploding fireflies.  
What was happening to him all of a sudden?

With a determined cry he tensed his muscles and pushed the guy off him. Not loosing any time to catch his breath, he rushed after the taller man and punched him in the gut. The strawhat captain heard his opponent gasp above him, all the air escaping his lungs in a rush.

But just as Luffy wanted to jump backwards to get out of Ichirou´s range, he was met with an elbow connecting with his face. He was rubber, so despite the Busoshoku Haki it shouldn´t hurt him as bad. Shouldn´t.  
The elbow made contact with his temple and searing hot pain erupted in his head, coursing through his veins like boiling water.

The strawhat captain let out a howling cry at the feeling of being burned from the inside out, clutching at his head desperately and falling to his knees, his legs no longer being able to hold him upright.  
Luffy didn´t know what was happening to him. He could withstand the former pain in his head, but this was different. He could hear the voice of his opponent rain down on him from outside, but couldn´t make out any words. It was like he was captured in this world of heat and pain.  
His breath was ragged, and he felt like he couldn´t breath because of the heat pressing down on him. Luffy tried taking deep breaths through his nose to calm his mind and trembling body. Trembling? When did he start to tremble?

The first few breaths were able to calm him down some, but the next one was stained with a metallic like flavor. He had to suppress a shudder. The heavy smell seemed to surround him and with more effort than he would admit, Luffy opened his eyes, blinking rapidly to drive the bright spots away to see properly.  
At first his vision was still blurred, but after a few seconds he could take in his surroundings. Where was he?

Luffy entangled his hands from his raven hair, letting them fall limp to the ground. But instead of making contact with solid ground, they fell into a scalding hot liquid. He recoiled with a pained cry, cradling them at his chest like they were burned. He looked down to what he thought was the ground, only to be met with a viscous red fluid bubbling under him. He tried jumping back from it, only to find himself unable to move. Luffy´s head moved from right to left, but the only thing he could make out was the boiling pot beneath him.

His eyes widened, realization dawning on him and fear started to creep his way into Luffy´s body. He tried to struggle, to move his body, but found himself constricted by something.  
His eyes moved over his arms, searching for whatever made him unable to move, and he clenched his fists when he saw the thick ropes tightly secured around both his wrists, his arms stretched to his right and left side. But the reason why he couldn´t move were the ropes tied around his stomach, leaving him hanging over the boiling pot. Why was he suddenly hanging?!

His breathing became erratic, and sweat run over his forehead and into his eyes, forcing him to pinch them together.  
As soon as his eyes were closed, the metallic smell from before hit him like a fist in the face, and he had to suppress a gagging.  
Luffy tried to piece everything together, but found it hard to think properly with all his senses jumbled and overloaded.

The heat. The smell. The red liquid. The ropes around his body.  
Suddenly something inside his brain clicked together, and memories he´d rather forget, came rushing through his mind.

He was back in Impel Down.

He was being held captured on Level 4 in Impel Down.

Panic overtook his whole body, his arms and legs started thrashing around frantically, and he could feel the ropes cut painfully into his skin, like they had so many times before him to other prisoners.  
Luffy threw his head back and a strangled cry escaped his strained lungs, the sound more feral than a human should be able to make.  
Through his clouded mind, the rubber-man could hear cries echoing around him. At first they were only muffled, but became clearer the longer he tried to concentrate on them. But they were not the painfully familiar cries of tortured prisoners. Those cries, ripped free from all hope and painted with the bitter taste of desperation, were still haunting him at night.  
The ones he was now hearing were battle cries. Men shouting over gunfire and explosions, accompanied by the sound of thousands of feet running around.

But as suddenly as those sounds had appeared, they were gone again, tuned out by Luffy´s tangled mind and shoved to the back of his consciousness.  
A shiver ran down his back. He slowly opened his eyes, blinking to make the sting go away, and noticed that he wasn´t held captured anymore, but instead again kneeling on solid ground. Dust was surrounding him, only the occasionally flashing of an explosion somewhere in the distance shining through.

The Strawhat captain took in a deep breath, relieved to be away from that hellish place. He tried to stop his muscles from twitching, clenching and unclenching his hands slowly.  
That was when he felt it.

A thick, warm moisture was sticking to his palm and fingers.

Luffy´s eyes widened. No. No this was all too familiar! Too real! This couldn´t be happening!  
And slowly, with shaking arms, the young man lifted his hands and turned his palms up, already fearing what he´d be able to see.

As soon as he laid his brown eyes on the red substance covering his palms, a small sob escaped his mouth.  
No. This wasn´t happening. This wasn´t real!  
Luffy averted his gaze from his blood-covered hands, his chest heaving with suppressed sobs.

But before his eyes could unwillingly move towards the body that he knew lay in front of him, beaten, burned and bloody, a loud cracking sound ran through his head like a bullet. His breath hitched, and only then he noticed the silent tears that were streaming down his in sweat in dirt covered face.

The world around him moved suddenly, his gaze swimming before him and everything, the smells, the sounds, the feelings, all crumbled together like a building being knocked down.  
Luffy tried to scream, to reach out for the crushed body of his brother, but with everything tossing and turning around him he couldn´t make out where he was anymore. Suddenly his body started to convulse, and a burning sensation made it´s way through his throat.

The last thing Luffy registered was the light feeling of being lifted up into the air.

 

To be continued

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you´re interested, these are the meanings of the japanese names I´m using in this story:
> 
> genzou = illusion/phantom
> 
> Ichirou = “ichi” means “one” and “rou” means “son”, so it basically means “first son”
> 
> Shingetsu = dark moon
> 
> Thanks to all of you who are reading and following my story! And special thanks goes to my beta reader, Jayce, who always supports me on everything and helps me decide on how to continue with my story.


	4. Chapter 4

Men screamed in pain. Blood splattered onto the in dust and ash covered ground. Those guys are a pain in the ass, the Strawhat swordsman thought.

While running over the plaza and slicing up those men who thought they could stand up against the former pirate hunter, Zoro had trouble seeing through the smoke. He was able to hear the sounds of his nakama; the foul-mouthed cook while he kicked the men's heads in, as well as Usopps Kuro Kabuto, as the sniper took out enemies from a greater distance. He knew that Nami and Robin were helping the innocent towns people escape, and he had no doubt that their little doctor was already patching them up as best as he could.

What bothered the swordsman though was the lack of his captains voice. Luffy usually was the loudest of them all, always screaming his attacks with every punch he threw at his opponent. But now they were missing.

Zoro randomly chose a direction he thought was right, and sprinted through the thick smoke. He held his green robe over his mouth to breath easier, but it did little help. His eye started to sting, and the farther he ran the more the heat around him grew. Must be near those burning houses, he thought and changed his course to his left, away from the fire.

Suddenly, the sound of a choked cry sliced through the air, and his stomach clenched at the sound. His grip around Kitetsu and Shusui tightened and he made a sharp turn left, slicing up any pirate that dared to come to close to him. The swordsman tried to calm his ragged breathing and his thumping heart, trying not to think about what he might find when he reached his captain.  
Zoro jumped over the debris lying around, and came to a stop when he saw the back of the man he and Luffy had encountered before he took off to take care of the other scum. He threw his right leg back, planning on kicking what no doubt lay in front of him.

Zoro's rage built and before he could even think about what he did, Kitetsu already sliced up the still outstretched leg, while Shusui made a clean cut through this bastards right shoulder.

Zoro heard the man scream in surprise and pain, heard his huge body slumping on the ground and groaning in pain, felt Kitetsu singing in his right hand, always thirsty for more blood. But Zoro didn't pay attention to any of this.  
As the smoke around them slowly cleared, the young man sheathed his two swords and sprinted the short way over to the small and fragile looking figure that was kneeling on the ground in front of him. His heart stopped at the sight of his captain.

Luffy was kneeling on the ground, but looked like he was barley holding himself upright. His head was thrown back, his mouth agape in what looked like a silent scream. His hands, that were only slightly covered in blood, lay between his legs. Luffy's body was trembling so hard that Zoro feared he might brake when he touched him. But what Zoro saw when he looked into his captains eyes, he stopped moving all together, his heart ached and his stomach churned. Those were not Luffy's eyes.

Those big, round orbs, that always shined with happiness, passion and love, were now wide-eyed, blood-shot and dull. Zoro could see nothing but pain and grief in his captains eyes, and it hurt the swordsman like nothing ever did.

When Luffy made a sound that sounded like a sob or a groan, Zoro was brought back to the here and now, and he let himself fall to his knees on front of the young man. „L-Luffy? Can you hear me, buddy?“ He hated to admit it, but his voice was shaking and nothing more than a croaked whisper. He reached out his hand slowly, willing it to stay steady, and lightly touched Luffy's shoulder.  
When his hand made contact with cold and damp skin despite the heat still lingering around them, a jolt went through Luffy and he gasped for air as if being too long under water. If possible, he started to tremble even worse, his shaking hands trying to grasp something that wasn't there, and whimpering sounds escaping his mouth.

„No... no... no no NO!“ Tears were making their way down his dirt-stained cheeks, but he didn't seem to even notice he was crying. He didn't seem to notice anything that was happening around him.

Zoro began to panic. He tried to steady his friend as best as he could, trying to calm him with his touch, his voice, anything that would reach him and bring him back. He looked around and spotted a flash of blond hair in midst of the slowly calming chaos around them. „Oi, cook!“ Zoro yelled, but that curly-bowed ass was too distracted by scaring the last of those filthy pack away.

„SANJI!“ Finally, at the unfamiliar cry of his name by that deep voice, the chef turned around and spotted them sitting a few meters away from them. At the sight of his captain and first mate his one visible eye widened, and without averting his gaze he bellowed for Chopper.

Zoro's attention went back to his captain when he felt his body start to spasm and to convulse. The panic inside him rose, but he dared not to look around for the small  
reindeer, only hoping that he would be here soon because he had no fucking idea what was happening!  
Luffy's head tilted forward and the swordsman had just enough time to realize what was happening and to get out of the way, before Luffy emptied the contents of his stomach on the ground in front of him. Zoro supported his friend by slinging his left arm over his chest, Luffy's right shoulder resting in Zoro's palm, and his right hand over his forehead to stabilize his head. When his captain finally stopped throwing up, he carefully let him rest against his chest, holding him in an attempt to warm his shaking body. To be true, he had no idea what he was doing, or if what he was doing was right, but it didn't matter to him. Luffy needed him, and he would not take his eyes off of him until he figured out what was hurting his captain in this cruel way. And only then would he leave his captains side to slice up whoever was responsible for it.

Before the swordsman could lost himself in his desire for revenge, the sound of hooves made him lift his head he hasn't realized he had rested against Luffy's until now, and met with the concerned gaze of their ships doctor. Chopper changed from Walking Point into Brain Point, and stumbled the rest of the way towards the pair still sitting on the ground.

Zoro could see the strain in his young friends face as he tried not to break out in tears. That would do nobody any good. Chopper quickly looked over his captain, than at the swordsman and back to Luffy. He lay his hoof on a spot at Luffy's throat to check his pulse, and nodded sternly after a moment. „We have to bring him back to the Sunny,“ Chopper said in his doctor-tone. He didn't ask what happened and didn't ask Zoro to explain what he saw, for now, and Zoro was grateful for it. All he wanted to do was bring Luffy back to the ship. Back to safety.

The first mate nodded and slowly stood up, carefully arranging Luffy in his arms so that he was able to walk back fast but without rattling Luffy too much.

By now Sanji and Nami had come over to see what was happening, both wearing the same look of concern mixed with disbelief at the sight of their strong captain. Zoro searched for the cooks eyes. „You take care of the rest and bring everybody home safe.“ It wasn´t a question; Sanji didn´t even try to argue with the swordsman for giving him orders. He just nodded and turned around to look for the rest of the crew.

„Let's go,“ said Chopper with an uncharacteristic emotionless voice, already back into Walking Point, and started to make his way to the outside of the plaza, Zoro right on his heels.

Zoro looked down at his unconscious captain in his arms, his heart clenching painfully at the sight of the battered and beaten young man.  
“Just- just promise me that you're gonna be careful on that island, okay? I don't know why, but I have a strange feeling in my gut that didn't disappoint me in the last two years. I don't want anything happening to you.“  
His words from this morning rang in his ears, and he shook his head to clear them out. But the nagging feeling at the back of his mind still didn´t subside the whole way back to the ship.

X

The small group was running at a breakneck pace, Chopper leading the way to the Sunny while keeping an eye on the swordsman to make sure he was still following. Chopper's eyes widened when he noticed that, even with Zoro's attention fully focused on his captain, he not once even made an attempt to turn in the wrong direction.  
If the situation wouldn't have been as serious as it was, Chopper would have been laughing. But one look at his captain, and the small reindeer had to bite his lower lip to stop the tears that were gathering in his eyes. 'No,' he reminded himself, turning his head forward again and letting the wind dry his eyes. 'I can worry later. Now I have to bring them back safely so I can treat Luffy.'

Meanwhile, Zoro was clutching the limp body of his captain against his heaving chest. It was not that he was out of breath, but the growing anxiety was constricting his lungs and made it hard to breathe.

While running, Zoro looked Luffy's body over to look for any signs of a deep wound or anything that would explain the state he was in. But if anything, he could only make out a bit of blood, sticking to Luffy's forehead and in his black hair, and a few bruises. Luffy had experienced much worse and would still have been able to battle, especially such a weakling.

Suddenly the unconscious man in his arms stirred, limbs twitching slightly and a pained groan escaping his chapped lips. But he still wouldn't wake up.

“Zoro! We're almost there!” Zoro's head snapped up at hearing Chopper's cry, and indeed, they could already see the proud lion head smiling at them, and even Franky's massive form walking over the deck with a barrel in each hand was visible. Said man turned his head at hearing the sound of hooves running over cobblestone and lifted his sunglasses to his forehead.

“OW! Didn´t expect you guys to return so- What the hell happened to Mugiwara-bro?!” Chopper reached the Sunny first, and was already sprinting over the deck and towards the infirmary. “I'll explain later!” With that he changed mid-running into his Brain Point and vanished into his room to prepare everything he needed to examine his captain.

Franky just stood with his mouth agape when Zoro ran past him, an unconscious Luffy resting in his arms. When he reached the infirmary as well, the young doctor had already prepared an IV bag and had laid gauze, a few cotton balls and disinfectant on his table at the ready.

Zoro laid his captain onto the bed, carefully removing the strawhat, before he let his fingers slide through Luffy's sweaty and dirty hair.

He didn't want to admit it, but the Strawhats first mate was worried. Painfully worried. He had seen Luffy bloodied and beaten to the point of unconsciousness more times than he wanted to admit, and it wasn't easy to see him in such a hurt state, but Luffy loosing against this weak bastard, without showing any signs of major damage, was really unnerving.  
Zoro shuddered at the as he remembered Luffy's screams. He must have been in so much anguish and pain that it had caused him to vomit. He had never done that before, not like this.

“Zoro?” The swordsman turned around, dispelling his dark musings, at hearing Chopper's soft but professional voice. “Could you wipe of the dirt and sweat from his face? And see if you find any wound I have to treat. I know that it's no use asking you to leave, so you may as well could help me.” He was handed a wet cloth which he slowly took from his nakama. “That obvious, huh?” he couldn't help but ask, before carefully sliding the cold material over Luffy's cheek. Chopper only smiled, but it vanished as soon as his eyes locked on his patient.

After working silently side by side for some time, Zoro could hear the rest of the crew arriving. Franky and Brook were bombarding them with questions, their concern audible even through the thick wooden doors of the infirmary.

When Zoro was finished cleaning his captain's face he laid the now dirty cloth on Chopper's table. He opened his mouth to say something, but the small reindeer beat him to it.  
“It's okay. I got it from here. Go and tell the others what happened. Luffy's fine now. I'll call you when he wakes up.”

“Thanks, Chopper.” With one last glance at Luffy and Chopper, who was adjusting the steady flow in the IV currently attached to Luffy's right hand, Zoro reached for the door handle and opened the door to the galley.  
As expected, the whole crew was gathered in here. Nami and Robin each holding a steaming cup of coffee or tea in their hands, Sanji smoking behind the counter, and Usopp softly talking to Franky and Brook. At his entrance everyone lifted their heads, looking at him with concerned and questioning eyes.

“He is still unconscious, but other than that we couldn't find any other signs of a crucial wound that could explain his sudden … ,” he didn't know how to say what had happened. One moment he was fighting those no-name pirates with the safe knowledge of Luffy taking care this bastard, and the next he heard a piercing scream coming from Luffy and a second later finding him in a heap on the ground, vomiting his guts out.

“Do you know what happened in his fight?” Nami asked cautiously. “No, I was fighting off those other guys just before you arrived. I couldn't see anything from where I stood. He told me he would take care of the big guy and I took off.”

Zoro walked over to the fridge, the cook sending him a glare when he reached in to get a beer or whatever alcohol he could get his hands on first, but didn't make any attempt to stop him.

“You guys alright?” the swordsman asked on his way towards the door. They gave a silent nod for answer. “I'm taking watch tonight.” With that said, a sake bottle in hand, the first mate left the galley, closing the door behind him. He pondered on whether he should go back to the infirmary, but figured someone will get him when Luffy wakes up.

Before climbing up to the crows nest Zoro turned towards the town, smoke still visible from the towns center, but it had lessened considerably. The sun was still up, it had to be late afternoon by now.

He wondered where the day went?

X

Back in the galley the atmosphere was tense. Nobody really knew how to handle the situation.

First Luffy acted weird in the morning, being last to arrive at breakfast and to top it of not inhaling everything within reach. Though he had tried to hide it, it was obvious to the crew that Luffy was in pain. But he refused to show it to them as usual.  
They knew that he sometimes went to Zoro when he needed to talk, especially after reuniting at Sabaody. And it was understandable.  
Zoro was the first one to join him, the first nakama he had made on his way to becoming the Pirate King.

But know their strong captain was laying in the infirmary and no one knew why.

Suddenly the door to the infirmary opened softly and Chopper emerged with exhausted eyes. He gave them a small smile which loosened everyone's anxiety slightly.

“How is he doing, Chopper?” Sanji stood behind the counter and filled a glass with freshly squeezed orange juice. He walked over to the young doctor where he sat beside Usopp on the sofa, accepting the cold drink with a grateful smile. “He is still unconscious, but I guess Zoro told you already.” Chopper looked around the room for his green-haired nakama, but upon seeing that he had already left continued his report.

“I took a couple of blood samples and ran a few other tests, but as far as I can tell I wasn't able to find anything out of the ordinary.” Chopper's ears dropped at having to tell his crew these news. He wanted to be the best doctor that he could be for his crew, but he couldn't even find the cause of his captain's sickness, or whatever it was that was causing his friend to be in so much pain. Usopp put his arm around his smaller friend's shoulders, giving him an encouraging smile. Everyone new how serious Chopper took his job and his position in the crew, and therefore knew how much it upsets their youngest crew member when he didn't how how to help someone.  
Especially Luffy.

“Doctor-san, I know this question goes against your doctor patient confidentiality, but I couldn't help but notice that our captain-san went to go see you just before we explored the town. Is there anything he told you that could help him now?” Robin asked. Her voice was gentle but also strict, indicating that she wouldn't accept a refusal.

Chopper wrung his hooves. This went against the rule that he was taught by Doctor Kureha, but he had to tell them. Surely Luffy would understand. Right?

“Well... Luffy came to me this morning complaining about a headache that got worse the more he moved around. I gave him something to dull the pain and a special herb that gives a body more energy, for example when experiencing a bad hangover,” Chopper explained, the scene from this morning playing in his mind.

“And did you notice anything different when he talked to you in private?” pressed Robin, already standing up with her empty mug in hand.

The young doctor contemplated that for seconds. “I noticed that he had small shadows under his eyes, as if he didn't have a good nights sleep for the last few nights. And he kind of seemed, I don't know how to describe it, gaunt? As if he lost some of his strength in the past days.”

Robin nodded to herself. “Cook-san? Could you make me another cup of coffee, please?” she asked with a small smile. Sanji's eyes turned into hearts, but even he lacked the usual enthusiasm in his movements when treating the women on the ship. “I will be in the library doing more research on the island. I have a bad feeling, but let's hope that it does not come true.”

She turned to Chopper and petted the little reindeer on his head, making him smile. “Thank you, Chopper. I'll let you know if I find anything that could help our captain-san.” With that Robin walked towards the door and went outside.

“Ah, Chopper-san?” Brook, who hadn't said a word in this small conversation, faced the young doctor. “If there is anything I can do to help, I will gladly assist you in any way possible.”

“You can count on me too, little bro!” Franky said, striking a smaller version of his usual pose.

Chopper's smile grew. Of course his nakama, his family, would support him. Nobody was being let down. “Arigatou, minna! I'll go back to Luffy and see how he's doing. I'll let you know when he wakes up.”  
He jumped down from the sofa and, downing the rest of his orange juice, walked towards the infirmary, closing the wooden door softly behind him.

“Oi, Franky, Brook. Help me with the groceries. I left them on the deck and I don't want them to go to waste,” Sanji said, sucking on the rest of his cigarette before throwing it away.  
Franky and Brook gave him a thumbs up before leaving the galley as well, Franky talking about putting away the barrels of cola he brought to the ship shortly before Chopper, Zoro and Luffy arrived.

When the two had left Usopp stood up as well, muttering about needing to fill his bag with new ammunition after today's fight.  
The only two remaining now were Nami and Sanji.

“Nami-san, are you okay?” Sanji said it without the usual swooning, and for that Nami was grateful.  
“Of course I'm not, Sanji-kun. Did you see Luffy? I haven't seen him this exhausted since Fishman Island when he had lost so much blood! But now he has barely a scratch on him and he is still unconscious for almost three hours now!” Nami's voice grew with every sentence, her worry getting the best of her and Sanji being the only one now she could let it out at.

But Sanji knew it wasn't personal. Nami was very passionate in everything she did, especially about things concerning her nakama.

“I'm sorry, Nami-swan. That was a dumb question to ask.” Sanji took a seat beside his beloved navigator and studied her expression.  
He could see all kinds of different emotions play across her beautiful face. From concern to anger, to realization and to shame and back to the worried expression the whole crew had when Chopper told them about Luffy's condition.

“I'm sorry, Sanji-kun. It's just that I'm so worried. And I can't do anything about it. Zoro must feel even worse.” Nami let out a deep sigh and let herself slump against the cook's strong body. At first Sanji tensed, he wasn't expecting that at all, but then he let himself relax. He smiled softly and rested his arm over Nami's shoulders, drawing small circles on her upper arm.

“Moss-head up there will be fine. You know he doesn't like to let people see his emotional side. But even with his mossy brain he knows that he has nakama who will help him.  
Luffy isn't dying, and whatever it is that is causing him so much pain, you know that we all will go all out to make sure that nothing and nobody will hurt anything or anyone ever again when we're through with it.”

The Strawhats navigator only nodded, relishing in the confidence in Sanji's voice and the deep rumble in his chest.

Both sat there, each one deep in thought but taking strength out of the others presence, when suddenly the door to the infirmary opened revealing a smiling doctor.

“Nami, Sanji! Luffy just woke up!”

 

To be continued …

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading!  
> 'Till next time!


End file.
